Time features architect Rafiq Azam and his climate resilient solutions in Dhaka

American news magazine, Time, has featured renowned Bangladeshi architect Rafiq Azam, who leads a team redesigning "the historic southern half of Dhaka city to adapt to a warmer, wetter future".

The magazine, based in New York, published an article on Azam and his climate resilient solutions on October 28.

It mentioned that Dhaka is highly vulnerable to monsoon rains, overwhelmed drainage systems and flooded streets.

Photo courtesy: Shatotto

Most urban planners would despair at the prospect of turning Dhaka climate resilient, but Rafiq Azam did not.

If the challenge becomes a problem, it's misery, Azam said. "But if you think of a challenge as an opportunity for innovation, it turns into a celebration," Time quoted Azam as saying.

Rasulbagh Shishu Park in Azimpur, Dhaka has been redesigned by Rafiq Azam. Photo courtesy: Shatotto

Azam began by redesigning Dhaka's neglected urban parks, turning them into small green oases that double as water-­catchment areas: deep trenches below collect and store rainwater from the parks, which is then filtered and pumped to a community tap as drinking water. The existing drainage ditches take undrinkable water from city streets, reducing flooding. So far, his team has transformed 31 community parks and playgrounds, the magazine said.

Rasulbagh Shishu Park in Azimpur, Dhaka has been redesigned by Rafiq Azam. Photo courtesy: Shatotto

"Rain is no longer a pain in these areas," he says. "It's reason for celebration."

Storm surges threaten low-lying cities globally; if Dhaka's experience is a cautionary tale of the challenges of climate change, its solutions could be equally applied elsewhere, Time said.